Sands-discharge valve



Jan. 25, 1944. LINCH 2,340,246

SANDS DI SCHARGE VALVE Filed May 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l u n o n l Q n n n o u a I00 lOl -5 n n n n FIGJ.

INVENTOR HARRY A. LINOH ATTORNEY Jan. 25, 1944. A LINCH 2,340,246

SANDS DISCHARGE VALVE Filed May 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HARRY A. Ll NCH ATTORNEY Jan. 25, 1944. LlNcH 2,340,246

SANDS DISCHARGE VALVE Filed May 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 g INVENTOR HARRY A.LINCH BY ATTORNEY Jan. 25, 1944. A UNCH 2,340,246

SANDS DISCHARGE VALVE Filed May 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 HARRY A. Ll NCH mmim ATTORNEY- Pafenie Jan. 25, 33

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SANDS-DISCHARGE VALVE Harry A. Linch, Westport, Connl, assignor to The Don- Company, New York, N. Y.,- a corporation of Delaware 4 Claims.

The invention relates to sands-discharge valves having particular adaptation for use in hydraulic classifiers of the hindered-settling automaticcontro1 type.

An apparatus for which the invention has been devised and is particularly applicable is the form of classifier commonly known as Fahrenwald sizer. The form of such apparatus is shown and described in British Patent No. 268,663 the acceptance date of which was April 7, 1927, and also in Bulletin No. 2381 copyrighted in 1928 by The Dorr Company, which bulletin is entitled The Fahrenwald Sizer.

An apparatus of the general class to which the invention hereof has particular application comprises a tank structure providing in the upper portion thereof a relatively long settling chamber or zone, classifying pockets or zones in constant direct communication with and extending downwardly from the settling chamber, and pressure compartments underlying the classifying pockets but functionally-separated from the latter by apertured constriction plates defining the bottom of the classifying pockets or zones on the one hand and the roof or top portions of the pressure compartments on the other hand. Such apparatus has an hydraulic header connected for supplying water under pressure to the pressure com- Dartments from which the hydraulic water passes forcibly upwardly through the apertures of the constriction plates into the bodies of materia in the classifying pockets. Such apparatus is also equipped with sands-discharge means that includes sands-transfer tubes leading downwardly from the lower portion of the classifying pockets to the exterior of the apparatus and associated valve constructions of which the movable valve elements have mechanisms for automatically lifting the valves from their seats to release from said pockets through said transfer tubes, according to operative requirements, quantitles of the sands accumulated in the pockets.

An object of the present invention is to provide a valve-discharge construction or arrangement which is efiective and more readily and more conveniently adjustable than any type of valve construction which has heretofore been used in such apparatus.

As illustrative of a specific manner by which the new valve construction hereof is realized and the manner in which it is employed, reference is made to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively views showing in plan and in side elevation a hindered-settling apparatus of the type to which the new valve construction has particular application. In Fig. 2 a portion of a side plate is broken away to disclose certain interior features of construction.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal view of which the tank or casing structure is shown as a sectional view taken as on the vertical plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken as on the vertica1 plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. In this view the valve construction is clearly shown as to the details thereof.

Reference is now made to the drawings in dctail wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The hindered settling apparatus illustrated has a tank structure generally designated as It, which in plan provides a progressively expanding area in basin from the feed-receiving end ll thereof to the wider overflow end l2 thereof. The tank structure Ill includes rear side walls l3, a narrow feed-receiving end wall l4 that includes the sections l5, l6 and H and a wide overflow end wall l8 having a vertically adjustable upper overfiow edge plate or member l9 that is secured in ade lusted position by bolts 20. The tank structure also includes an outside structure providing an.

overflow receiving launder that includes vertically-extending end members 2|, 2|, verticallyextending side members 22, 22 and inclined fioor plates or launder bottoms 23. The launder has a discharge area at the lower end thereof provided at 24. There is a transverse plate member 25 outwardly disposed with respect to the overflow plate l9. This member 25 extends between the side walls 13 and with a horizontally-extending transverse plate 26 provides a receiving pocket 21 for receiving'liquid or fines overflowing said plate member l9. Rising small side members 28, 28 complete an outfiow trough 29 leading from the compartment 21. The interior of the tank is divided by vertically-extending partitions or' plates 29 into compartments 30, 3|, 32, 33, 34, 35

and 36. These partitions extend upwardly within the tank for a major portion of the height thereof and for each of these compartments or sub-sections of the tank there is providedan apertured flow constriction plate 31. As to compartment 30 the constriction plate for this compartment is at an elevation only a slight distance below the top edge of the transverse partition 29 and this particular plate is located at and defines the lowermost portion of the feed-receiving section II of the classifler. Below the constriction plate for compartment 55 there is a pressure compartment 4|. As to each of the other compartments the constriction plate 81 defines the floor of a classifying pocket or zone 88 and the roof or upper limits of a hydraulic pressure chamber or compartment 85. The tank is provided with means generally designated as 48 for supplying water under pressure to the compartments 88 and to the compartment 4|. The means 45 just referred to includes a supply tank 42 for holding liquid therein up to a relatively constant surface elevation and pressure water passes from this tank through a descending pipe 45, controlled by a stop valve 44 and a horizontally-extending hydraulic header 45 from which the pressure liquid is supplied to the several pressure compartments a 89 and 4| as through the medium or branch pipes 45. In the construction shown these branch pipes are realized by short sections of flexible tubing the area through which can be adjusted by clamping straps 41 whereby thesebranch pipes are in effect provided with a valve construction because of these clamping members 41 which can be relied upon to adjust the flow area through the respective branches. The flexible branch tubes 45 are secured in place as by clamps 48 whereby liquidtight joints are provided because of such clamps. Sands-discharge tubes 48 are provided for and lead from each of the compartments 38.to the exterior of the tank. These sands-discharge tubes 48 extend, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 4, through and from the upper side of the constriction plate 81 and have a water tight connection with the latter through the medium of the securing rings 55 and Window structures are provided at 52 whereby operating conditions within the interior of the classify ng pockets can be readily observed by the operator. For the wider and latter functioning portions of the apparatus the side walls |3 are cut out as at 53 and 54 and these side walls are equipped with adjustable overflow plates 55 or 55, as the case may be, which are positioned according to general surface level of the liquid within the tank l5 and for attaining the desired type of overflow from the respective sections of the tank served thereby. These overflow plates or members are secured in adjustable position as by bolts 51.

The valve structure which constitutes the basis for this invention is shown in Fig. 4 at a somewhat larger scale than in the other flgures. It

embodies a vertically-extending tubular mainmember 58 frequently referred to as the tubular valve support. This tubular-valve has openings or windows 55 at the lower portion thereof providing that which is sometimes referred to as sands-transfer passageways or area leading from the exterior to the interior of the tubular support. The lower end portions 55 of this member 58 are connected as by welding to a horizontallyextending centrally apertured member 5| the underside of which is counter-bored at 52 for receiving therein a circular centrally apertured valve seat 58. A lower clamping member or valve bushing 54 is provided for engaging the underside of the valve seat and screws 55 are employed for drawing the valve bushing 54 towards the valve seat receiving member 5| whereby the members 5| and 54 cooperatively secure the valve seat in position therefor. This valve seat 53 is preferably made of rubber or some yieldable composition. It is feasible, however. to make it of steel and as it extends horizontally it. with themembers 5| and 54, provide a downflow passageway leading from the tubular member 58 when downwardly tapering valve 55 is raised from seat-engaging position therefor. This valve normally rests upon the seat as shown in Fig. 4 but the structure that controls the operation of the valve automatically lifts the valve from the seat as and when there is a sufflcient accumulation of sands within the pocket, particularly to a region above that of the openings 55 that are provided at the lower end of the tube 58. A horizontally-extending member is secured to the upper end of the tubular valve support 58 so as to provide a liquid-tight cover or cap 51 therefor. This cap has a vertical screw-threaded opening 58 extending therethrough for receiving an exteriorly-threaded tubular member 59 which is sometimes referred to as a tubular valve sleeve. A relatively tight flt is provided for the screw threaded portions just referred to and a locking nut Ill may be employed whereby a relativetly liquid-tight Joint is attained as between the screw-threaded opening 58 on the one hand and the exteriorly-threaded member 59 on the other hand. This tubular valve stem member 59 has -a dish-shaped member 1| connected to the upper end so as to provide a liquid-tight connection at this point. As shown this member II is in the form of the surface section of an inverted truncated cone. It has a marginal flang portion I2. This dish-shaped member H is sometimes referred to as the diaphragm chamber or diaphram chamber structure. A flexible diaphragm 13, preferably of rubber but which may be of any other suitable yieldable and flexible material impervious to the passage of water, is secured as by bolts 14 to the marginal portion 12 of the diaphragm chamber structure When the valve 55 is in normal closing position with respect to the seat 53, the diaphragm 13 has a shallow dishshaped appearance; it preferably takes the form of the surface of an inverted truncated portion of a shallow cone. At the underside of the diaphragm and in direct contact therewith, there is a clamping washer 15 of relatively small diameter and immediately above the diaphragm there is a dish-shaped washer 15 of relatively large diameter. The larger washer 15 is dishshaped so as to substantially fit the upper contour or surface of the central section of the diaphragm when the parts are in the normal position shown in Fig. 4. An upper vertically-ex tending tubular member 11 which is exteriorly threaded at the lower end 18 thereof extends through the diaphragm and upper and lower locking nuts 15 and 88 serve to engage and press the washers whereby they in turn clamp the central portions of the diaphragm in a manner to effect a liquid-tight joint as between the diaphragm on the one hand and the upper tubular member 11 on the other hand. This member 11 is sometimes referred to herein as the tubular valve stem guide since it receives and has passing upwardly therethrough a valve stem 8| the lower end 82 of which is rigidly connected to the tapering valve plug or movable valve element 55. This stem 5| as will be manifest from the drawings extends upwardly through the tubular valve support 58, the tubular valve sleeve 58 and the tubular valve stem guide I1 and upwardly beyond the latter a sufficient distance to provide the threaded end'83 having thereupon an adjusting wing nut or valve-rod positioned member 84.

The threaded end 89 also carries removable and replaceable weights 85 which may be clamped in position on the rod by the means of clamping nuts 89 and 81.

Means is providedfor supplying pressure water at relatively constant pressure'head to the upper interior portion of the tubular valve support 58. This means includes a branch pipe 98 leading from the downwardly-extending main pipe 43, an adjustable valve 89, a horizontal pipe section 90 from which there upwardly extends overflow piping that includes a riser pipe 9|, a T connection 92 with an overflow branch 93 having downwardly-extending release pipes 94 and 95 and 95 for passing overflowed liquid from the overflow T 92 into the feed-receiving section II of the tank. Subsequent portions of the horizontally-extendingpipe 90 have branch pipes 91 leading therefrom and connected at 98 to the upper portion of the tubular valve supports 58 whereby liquid from this constant pressure supply line 90 can be transferred to and delivered directly into the upper interior portions of the tubular valve supports 58. An air-release passageway is provided at 99 leading from the upper interior portion of the member 58. In the construction shown an air-release pipe I99 is indicated extending from this release opening 99 of elevation and preferably terminating at an elevation somewhat higher than that of the upper tubular valve stem guide TI. This pipe I90 may be equipped with a valve l! and if so equipped the portion above the valve could be omitted as the valve would normally be closed to retain the pressure within the tubular support 58 in so far as the escape of air or water from the release opening 99 is involved. In that instance the valve llll would be opened merely to permit the escape of air which might otherwise become entrapped within the tubular support 58. By the same token one will readily appreciate the fact that this release opening 99 might be provided only with a threaded plug which would normally close it, but which could be removed for permitting the escape of air which might otherwise become entrapped in undue quantities within the tubular support 58. This air discharge passageway 99 and whatever instrumentality is employed in conjunction therewith to control or permit the release of air may be referred to as means for releasing entrapped air. Said means can be relied upon and employed for ensuring a retention of pressure liquid within the tubular valve support up to that which may be realized incident to the feeding-of pressure water into theupper interior portion of the tubular support through the inflow opening 98 therein.

In the normal functioning of the apparatus solid material to be sized or separated is supplied to the feed receiving end of the apparatus. As th operative steps are carried out certain fines pass as overflow along one path after the classifying operation while sands graded as to size pass along other paths as the classifying operations are carried out. During the classifying opera- 6 tions the sands are initially subjected to the upflow currents of pressure water received within the compartment 39. Afterwards the water and sands gradually pass along the machine whereby they are progressively treated therein. The sands are subjected to the upflow currents in the classifying pockets of progressively increasing horizontal area. The heavier sands settle in the first classifying compartment; sands of less weight but still heavy settle in the second classi-,

fying compartment and finally sands which have not been separated and settled in the preceding compartment areultimately receivedin the last of the compartments indicated. In each of the. classifying pockets hydraulic water passes from the pressure compartment corresponding thereto upwardly through the'apertures of the constriction plate 31. The greatest velocity of upflow is in the compartment of smaller horizontal cross through the passageways 59 of pressure liquid that was received in the upper portion of the tubular portion 58. However, when this escape for such water is cut off due to the sands accumulation within any particular compartment then the pressure of the liquid received within the tubular valve support 58 becomes effective upwardly through the tubular valve sleeve 59 and within the diaphragm chamber structure ll whereby it causes a rising of the diaphragm and a consequent lifting of the valve. from seating position. This allows an outflow of liquid and sand from any particular compartment 38 and a consequent passing of sands by the valve plug through the seat 63 and from the apparatus through the medium of the descending sandstransfer pipe 49. This condition continues until there has been sufllcient discharge of sands from the particular compartment whereby there can follow an outflow of pressure valve-operating liquid from the interior of the vertically-extending tubular support 58 and a consequent release of pressure at the underside of the diaphragm. This allows the diaphragm to return to normal position, or as otherwise expressed, to normal valve seating position for the valve element or plug 69. As to the diaphragm it will be noted that as that tends to raise it initially exerts full pressure against the underside of the upper dishshaped washer 16. However, as the central portion of the diaphragm continues to rise there is first a separation of the outer marginal portion of the washer 16 from the diaphragm due to the change in shape of the diaphragm and if the diaphragm reaches the full extent of upward movement therefor, there will ultimately be contact between only the small central portion of the washer 16 with the small central portion of the diaphragm itself and there will be an area between them which in vertical cross-section is in the form of a V.

From the foregoing it will be noted that considerable agitation exists within the classifying pockets of the tank and extends, to a certain degree, into a region somewhat above the upper portions of partitions 29. This agitative effect which is produced because of pressure-liquid that is upwardly delivered through apertures of the constriction plate becomes considerably dissipated within the classifying compartment or pockets 3 I 32, etc. so that little, if any, agitation exists within the upper portions of the pockets, this because the energy of the upflowing water has been used up or absorbed by the sands undergoing hindered settling in the lower portion of the classifying compartment. The agitative effects are therefore substantially dissipated within at least a short region above the top of the classifying compartments and there is realized a relatively large open bottom settling compartment or zone-overlying the pockets and extending substantially throughout the entire upper interior portion of the tank and it is from the upper portion of this settling zone that the finer material passes as overflow over weirs or overflow edges such as provided by plates II, I and II.

upper member providing a vertically-movable ele-' ment; a depending valve-positioning member carried from the vertically-movable element and exs tending to the valve downwardly within the chambered means, the tubular sleeve and the main tubular member; said construction being characterized in that it includes a liquid-transfer pipe leading into the upper portion of the main tubular member for supplying pressure water thereinto whereby the pressure of the water thus supplied ultimately become efiective' on the verticallymovable element of the chambered means through the medium of the vertically-positionable tubular sleeve, an air release means providing a passageway leading from the upper interior portion of the main tubular member and means for at will closing or opening said passageway.

2. A sands-discharge valve construction comprising a vertically-extending main tubular member; means providing a movable valve and seat therefor; a cover at the upper end of the main tubular member having a vertically-extending sleeve-receiving opening therethrough; a vertically-positionable tubular sleeve extending through the opening and having a substantially water-tight connection with the cover, chambered means providing an expansible and contractible compartment having a lower member connected to the upper end of th tubular sleeve and an upper member providing a vertically-movable element; a depending valve-positioning member carried from the vertically-movable element and extending to the valve downwardly within the chambered means, the tubular sleeve and the main tubular member; said construction being characterized in that it include a liquid-transfer pipe leading into the upper portion of the main tubular memberfor supplying pressure water thereinto whereby the pressure of the water thus supplied ultimately becomes effective on the vertically-movable element of the chambered means through the medium of the vertically-positionable tubular sleeve, a pipe leading from the upper interior portion of the main tubular member and rising to an elevation higher than that of the chambered means, and a valve positionable for opening or closing of the passageway through said pipe.

3. A sands-discharge valve construction comprising tubular means that includes a verticallyartending main tubular member at the lower end of which there is a sands-transfer area leadin from the exterior to the interior thereof and a tubular sleeve vertically-positionable with respect to the main tubular member; means providing a movable valve and an apertured seat therefor near the lower end of th main tubular member; chambered means providing an expansible and contractible compartment having a lower member carried by, connected to, and in communication with the upper end of the tubular sleeve and an upper member providing an upper yieldable element; and means carried from said vertical yieldable element for positioning said valve relative to its seat; said construction being characterized in that it includes water supply means for delivering pressure water into the vertically-extending main tubular member and having a supply water overflow at elevation higher than that of the upper member of the chambered means, and in that there is a pipe leading upwardly from the interior of the main tubular member to an elevation higher than that of the supply water overflow.

4. A sands-discharge valve construction comprising a vertically-extending main tubular member; lneans providing a movable valve and seat therefor; a. cover at the upper end of the main tubular member having a vertically-extending screw-threaded sleeve-receiving opening therethrough; a tubular sleeve extending through the opening and having an exteriorly screw-threaded portion turnably fitting and engaging the internal screw-threads of the sleeve-receiving opening of the cover thereby affording in conjunction with said internal screw-threads a means whereby the tubular sleeve can be vertically adjusted by horizontally turning said sleeve about a verticallyextending axis, chambered means providing anexpansible and contracible compartment having an upper member providing a vertically-movable element and having a lower member connected to the upper end of the tubular sleeve whereby said chambered means is carried by and turns with said tubular sleeve; a depending valve-positioning member carried from the vertically-movable element and extending to the valve downwardly within the chambered means, the tubular sleeve and the main tubular member; said construction being characterized in that it includes a liquidtransfer pipe leading into the upper portion of the main tubular member for supplying pressure water thereinto whereby the pressure of the water thus supplied ultimately becomes efi'ective on the vertically-movable element of the chambered means through the medium of the vertically-positionable tubular sleeve and wherein said vertical adjustment of the exteriorly-threaded sleeve and of the aforementioned chambered means can be accomplished by turning the tubular sleeve and this while the liquid transfer pipe continues to be connected for supplying water to the interior of the main tubular member.

HARRY A. LINCH. 

